BECAUSE LIFE AFTER FORTY IS NO LESS FUN OR FASHIONABLE

Having trouble reaching your goals?

28/01/2018

It’s almost the end of January – hurrah! How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions or the goals you set yourself at the start of the year? It’s tough to keep focused isn’t it… the wagon is easy or at least tempting to fall off… especially as the diary starts to fill up and life returns to its busy schedule.

I asked Life Coach, Claire Skaptason, for some tips on how to stay focused and achieve what we initially set out to achieve. Here’s what she said…

As a coach I work with people to help them move forward, remove blockages that might be present and essentially help them set and attain realistic goals. Working with a coach means that you have someone there to support you in your quest, to motivate and challenge you when things might not seem to be going to plan. Essentially a coach acts as your biggest cheerleader. Due to this support and accountability, people who work with coaches are more likely to achieve their desired goals, but here’s what can you do if you are doing it alone:

Don’t bite off more than you can chew! When it comes to setting a goal it needs to be realistic. Have the end game in mind. Think about the desired result and the time you have to achieve it. What do you need to do on your journey to help you achieve your goal? Try and think of this in terms of mini bite sized goals on a ladder of success with your goal at the top. Breaking down your goal into bite sized portions means that each ‘win’ along the way can be celebrated which in turn can really help with motivation while maintaining a feeling of positivity.

Goals should be measurable but some goals are much easier to measure than others. With goals that are not as simple to measure we need to consider how/when we will know that we have reached our goal and this is where visualisation can play a key role. When we visualise our desired outcome we really can begin to see the possibility of achieving it. You might have given yourself three months to reach your goal, at this point it may be June, the sun is shining, you are wearing sandals and you are in a park – start thinking about your goal, what have you achieved, how do you feel?

To give yourself a better chance of success it is a great idea to plan for potential obstacles that might happen along the way. Being aware of these obstacles means you have already prepared to deal with them if they arise and preparation counts for a lot. Let’s consider a goal you have given yourself to fit into the most fantastic pair of jeans that you purchased in the January sale. You have given yourself six weeks as you will be wearing them to your best friend’s 40th You have imagined how you are going to look and feel in these jeans and you are motivated to exercise and eat healthily but what are the obstacles and what are you going to do when these obstacles hit you clearly between the eyes? Each person’s response will be different but one thing to hold onto is how you visualised your desired outcome in the first place. Planning means that you can better manage your expectations if pitfalls do arise

Goals need to be inspirational if you are going to have a chance of reaching them. A lady who taught me a lot about coaching shared with me her initial goal when she was first coached and it struck a chord. She wanted to lose weight but let’s be honest that’s not particularly inspirational. Instead, after visualisation exercises and discussions her goal became ‘to wear Prada with PRIDE’. Her goal then became easier to see and feel and consequently more achievable. Once you have an inspirational goal write it down…not just in a notebook that you rarely open, write it on a post it note and put it somewhere visible. If you see it and remind yourself of it on a daily basis your chances of success are greater.

And finally, don’t forget to surround yourself with people who understand the importance of you reaching your goal. People who can motivate, support and encourage you on your journey. Stay positive and keep telling yourself you can do it.

About ClaireClaire is a professional trainer and coach working with individuals and businesses. As a life and career coach Claire works with individuals to inspire them to reach their personal and professional potential in a supportive, challenging and motivating way. Within businesses her coaching focuses on developing leadership skills, maximising leadership presence, inspiring and motivating team members and developing excellent emotional intelligence.